DM visits dilapidated school in Chhattisgarh's Surguja, approves new building
The show also investigates the detention of over 400 Bengali-speaking migrant workers in Odisha, who were suspected of being Bangladeshis. The report questions, 'Why should speaking Bengali make you a Bangladeshi?'. It highlights the case of 19 workers from West Bengal's Shukrabad village, held for days despite having valid documents, until their families secured their release. Finally, a good news story focuses on actor Akshay Kumar, who has been funding insurance for over 650 stunt artists since 2017, following the recent on-set death of stuntman S.M. Raju in Tamil Nadu.
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Naseeruddin Shah's co-star rescued by the police, spotted sitting roadside in West Bengal
A local also said, 'She seemed mentally disturbed, but kept repeating that she acted in serials. At first, we didn't believe her. Then we found her photos online.' read more Naseeruddin Shah's co-star Sumi Har Choudhary from Khashi Katha: A Goat Saga was recently rescued by the police as she was found sitting near roadside West Bengal's Purba Bardhaman district. 'Choudhury, who was spotted wandering along the Bardhaman-Arambagh state highway, has been sent to a shelter home and efforts are on to trace her family,' quoted Abhishek Mandal, sub-divisional police officer of Bardhaman Sadar South to the Indian Express. Sumi Har Choudhary is a known Bengali actress who has acted in both television and films. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A local also said, 'She seemed mentally disturbed, but kept repeating that she acted in serials. At first, we didn't believe her. Then we found her photos online.'
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3 hours ago
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Dhaka to Dorchester: Hasina-era officials disposing UK assets amid probe in Bangladesh, says report
A year after the uprising in Bangladesh toppled the country's PM Sheikh Hasina, a report suggested that Hasina-era officials have conducted several property transactions in the UK in a bid to save their assets from the Dhaka courts read more As Bangladesh prepares to commemorate one year of student-led revolution that toppled the country's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, an explosive report suggested that in the past year, Bangladeshis linked to the Hasina regime have made significant property transactions. The report by The Guardian and the campaign group Transparency International stated that several Bangladeshis, under scrutiny in Dhaka, have either sold, transferred or refinanced their UK properties, especially in London. When it comes to the timeline, the report stated that all these transactions took place shortly before the revolution rocked Bangladesh. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The luxury UK real estate has been at the centre of the drama between Hasina and her co and Bangladesh's current interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. Investigators in Dhaka have been probing the allegations that powerful and politically connected figures under the previous regime exploited their senior positions to loot state contracts and the Bangladeshi banking system. More from World 2006 Mumbai train blasts: High court acquits all 12 accused convicted in terror case The interim government alleged that the Hasina regime managed to channel millions looted from Bangladesh into UK properties. In light of this, the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) froze £90 million worth of property belonging to members of the Rahman family in May. Three weeks later, the NCA froze over £170m of assets belonging to Saifuzzaman Chowdhury. It is pertinent to note that Chowdhury was the former land minister in the Hasina government who amassed a vast fortune under her rule. The Bangladeshi minister's assets included more than 300 UK properties, ranging from apartments to lavish townhouses. Some notable mentions According to the disclosures made to the UK Land Registry, at least 20 'applications for dealing' have been submitted in the past year, concerning property owned by figures under scrutiny by Dhaka. These applications indicated that the properties underwent sale, transfer or change to a mortgage. Out of these, three properties worth £24.5 million were owned by members of the Sobhan family, the powerful dynasty that owns the Bashundhara business group. According to The Guardian, until April last year, a four-storey townhouse in Knightsbridge was directly owned by Sayem Sobhan Anvir, Bashundhara's managing director, via a company based in the United Arab Emirates. The Sobhan family is among several Bangladeshi dynasties that are under investigation by Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for allegations such as money laundering. As per the report, the property was transferred to a UK business called Brookview Heights Ltd, free of charge. Brookview is owned by a director of Orbis London, a real estate advisory firm with offices in Liechtenstein and Singapore. The British company has acted for the Sobhan family on property transactions in the past. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The townhouse was eventually sold for £7.35m to a newly formed company, whose sole director is an accountant with no online profile. The same accountant is reportedly the director of other companies as well. In the past, the family has denied 'all allegations of wrongdoing and will robustly defend ourselves against these allegations'. Apart from this, two more individuals have come under the scrutiny of ACC. One is Chowdhury's brother, Anisuzzaman, while the other is a successful British-Bangladeshi property developer, whose name The Guardian has chosen not to mention. When it comes to Anisuzzaman Chowdhury, the UK's land registry data shows market activities on four of his properties. They include the sale of a £10m Georgian townhouse on the fringes of Regent's Park, central London, completed last July. According to The Guardian, the other three are understood to be put on refinancing. Meanwhile, Chowdhury's lawyers argue that he did not believe that there was any legitimate reason for any of his assets to be frozen and that the sale of the Regent's Park property was agreed back in 2023, before the revolution rocked Bangladesh. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The other three applications dealt with properties owned by the son and nephew of Salman F Rahman, who runs the Beximco business group, one of Bangladesh's largest conglomerates. Both Ahmed Shayan Rahman and Ahmed Shahryar Rahman are under investigation by the ACC. Lawyers for the Rahmans denied any wrongdoing and argued that 'political upheaval' in Bangladesh had led to allegations being made against many people. They made it clear that the two brothers would 'engage with any investigation which takes place in the UK'. Dhaka raises alarm In June this year, a Bangladeshi delegation led by the country's interim Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus arrived in London to forge stronger ties with the United Kingdom. At that time, Ahsan Mansur, the central bank governor who is leading his country's efforts to repatriate assets, called for more measures against Hasina-era officials. 'We are aware of efforts to liquidate assets, and we would like the UK government to consider more freezing orders,' Mansur said. 'Measures to block transactions would give us hope of following due process to repatriate assets,' he added. His calls were echoed by ACC Chair Mohammad Abdul Momen, who asked the NCA to consider freezing the assets of several individuals, amid a flurry of post-revolutionary property market activity. The UK government is facing pressure to do something in this regard, from within as well. Joe Powell MP, the chair of an all-party parliamentary group examining corruption and tax, urged authorities to move quickly with the investigation. 'History tells us that assets can quickly evaporate unless swift steps are taken to freeze those assets while investigations are underway,' he said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Powell welcomed the actions already taken by the NCA but urged it to 'expand the net as soon as possible'. The Labour MP is leading the group of parliamentarians that is looking at how London real estate is being used to transfer wealth by the elites around the world. The group became more active following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Mint
3 hours ago
- Mint
Mamata Banerjee to hold Martyrs' Day rally, raise Bengali migrants' issue in BJP states ahead of 2026 Kolkata election
The All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) will hold its annual Martyrs' Day rally in Kolkata today, July 21, with party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expected to hit out at the BJP over the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in the saffron party-ruled states. Lakhs of TMC supporters from across the state have already arrived in the city for the rally. Besides Banerjee, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee will be the key speaker at the rally. The programme, held every year to commemorate the killing of 13 Youth Congress workers in a 1993 police firing, has grown into the party's largest political event. This year's rally holds significance as it is being seen as the launchpad for the TMC's campaign for the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections. Banerjee is likely to sharpen her Bengali pride pitch, accusing the BJP of linguistic profiling and 'criminalising poverty' in the name of national security. The BJP, meanwhile, had dismissed the allegations as political posturing, blaming the TMC government for the chaos over the documentation of migrant workers and infiltration. With political temperatures rising, all eyes will be on Banerjee's speech, which is expected to set the tone for the TMC's campaign for the 2026 state polls.
